WOODLAWN - The Woodlawn Bears will open the eight-man football playoffs with a trip to Cedar Ridge High School near Newark (Independence County) to face the Timberwolves at 7 p.m. Friday.Cedar Ridge is the no. 2 seed from the eight-man North Conference. The Wolves finished the regular season 8-1 overall and 3-1 in league play with its lone loss coming at conference champion Midland on Oct. 18.Woodlawn, meanwhile, comes in as the no. 3 seed from the South Conference after dropping a heartbreaker at Brinkley last week, 18-12, in a game that determined the second and third seeds from the South.While the two schools are in difference conferences, they have faced four common opponents this season with both teams winning three-of-four against those opponents: both lost to Midland while beating Rose Bud, Guy-Perkins and Marvell.Cedar Ridge lost 34-6 at Midland on Oct. 18 in a game that ended up determining the North Conference championship. Woodlawn, meanwhile, fell 26-0 in a rain-soaked game at Midland back on Sept. 13 that resulted in the Bears suffering three season-ending injuries against. In addition, Woodlawn lost running back Ethan Adair and quarterback Aden Moore Aiden Moore for portions of that game.Both teams breezed by their other three common opponents: Cedar Ridge blew out Rose Bud, 56-8, while Woodlawn beat the Ramblers 50-18; the Timberwolves blanked Guy-Perkins 54-0 while Woodlawn led the Thunderbirds 58-0 before the game was called at halftime; andCedar Ridge won 24-0 at Marvell while Woodlawn hammered the Mustangs 66-26.Like Woodlawn, Cedar Ridge is a run-oriented team that operates mostly out of the shotgun and pistol formations. Bears Coach Zach Meyer said the Timberwolves like to run a lot of counter plays as well as some trick plays. When they do pass, the Wolves like to go vertical.Meyer said one of their challenges Friday night will be staying disciplined on defense. ...
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